PRESS RELEASE – Labatt Park isn’t big enough for the two of us. The London Rippers are issuing a challenge to the London Majors: “Let’s Play Ball”.

Rippers’ General Manager/Field Manager, David Martin wants to put the liquor license and Labatt Park on the line in a three-game winner-takes-all series.

[Read more here from the London Free Press about the tiff over beer sales.]

Martin is proposing the winner of the three game set would get the rights to the liquor license and Labatt Park. The loser would have to find a new ballpark to play at.

“We want to put our money where our mouth is.” says Martin, “The Majors call themselves a minor league baseball team and a semi-pro team on their Wikipedia page, here is their chance to play the actual pros and see how they stack up.”

The London Rippers can’t sell alcohol at Labatt Park because the rights to the liquor license for the municipally owned stadium is in the name of the Intercounty Baseball Majors, with City consent and no fair resolution has been presented by the Majors or the City of London.

So, Martin wants to decide it on the field.

“At the end of the day it’s all about business.” Martin says, “I think the ballpark can only handle one team and if the city isn’t going to step up and address this issue, then we should do it ourselves. If Scott Dart wants to play George Steinbrenner and Roop Chanderdat wants to be Billy Martin, then this Martin says “let’s do it’”.

May the better team win and may the other start packing their bags.

The challenge has been issued and the Rippers are ready to play…but are the Majors?

As a Londoner I have to say this is pretty bold – even for the Rippers. With the history of the IBL/Labatt Park/London Majors I think it’s going to be pretty tough to get community support on the Ripper’s side, especially considering the shroud of negativity surrounding the team’s entrance into the London market and launch of the name/logo.

There is some truth to the comments made above – I believe there is only room for one team at the park, that is if either team wants to be successful. I have to assume the Rippers not being able to sell beer has been detrimental to their attendance numbers averaging only 950 per game.

This city loves ball, there’s no doubt about that. This city especially loves our Labatt Park, the nicest ball park in Canada and oldest continually operating baseball grounds in the world – in this situation I would have to assume the community will rally around the Majors based soley on Martin’s actions thus far.